1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to various types of lever switches with a lever for operating, for example, a wiper-and-washer switch for an automobile, the lever having a knob that has an opening and is attached to an end portion of the lever.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional on-vehicle combination switch is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Preliminary Publication (KOKAI) No. 5-69840. The on-vehicle combination switch disclosed in the publication has a knob attached to an end of an operating lever, the knob having an opening that can be seen by the operator. The operating lever has the knob at its tip portion and a base slidably journaled on a supporting unit. The operating lever has an exposed middle portion. The operating lever incorporates a switch mounted to the knob and electrically conductive members that electrically connect the supporting unit to the switch.
On-vehicle combination switches other than that disclosed in the aforementioned publication typically have a wire harness that connects between the switch mounted to the knob and the supporting unit. The wire harness passes through a through-hole formed in the operating lever.
However, the aforementioned prior art apparatus suffers from the problem that the interior of the knob and lever can be seen through the opening of the knob, and therefore, the appearance of the operating lever is not attractive.
The wire harness, which electrically connects the supporting unit to the contacts of the switch housed in the knob, can be seen from the operator side, and therefore the appearance of the conventional switch is not attractive. In addition, the wire harness is routed by manually inserting the wire harness into the operating lever. Thus, when the wire harness is routed, workability is poor.
An object of the present invention is to provide a lever switch in which the opening of the knob, the lever, and the wire harness cannot be seen, and which has an operating portion of good appearance in its entirety.
The present invention was made in order to solve the aforementioned prior art problems.
According to a broad aspect of the present invention, a lever switch is provided having a lever rod with a first knob and a boot, the lever rod being arranged such that one end of the lever rod is pivotal in a case and the other end thereof projects outwardly from the case, and the boot receiving the lever inserted thereinto and being fixed to the case. The lever switch is characterized by the first knob having a first opening formed on a side of the first knob facing the case, and the boot having a second opening formed to oppose the first opening, the second opening being in the vicinity of the first opening of the first knob.
According to other features of the invention, the boot includes a lower boot that covers a wire harness that connects to a switch mounted to the lever rod, and an upper boot that fits to the lower boot. The lower boot has a cover formed in one piece construction with the lower boot, the cover covering a circuit board mounted to a electrode board that is provided at a base of the lever rod. The lower boot is fixed to the electrode board, and the upper boot is fixed to the case that engages the electrode board. The boot is provided on one side of the first knob opposing the case, and a rotary second knob is provided on the other side of the first knob; wherein outer surfaces of the rotary second knob, the first knob, and the boot are continuously aligned to form a substantial cone shape.